The year 2014 saw tremendous advances in health care, with medical imaging filling gaps in medical knowledge and enhancing patient care. Looking ahead, innovation in imaging technology will continue to improve patient care through even more tailored diagnosis and treatment, increased efficiency and portability, and improved health outcomes. Moreover, millions of seniors stand to benefit from expanded access to certain advanced imaging modalities under the Medicare program.
More tailored patient care
Imaging has become essential to disease detection and diagnosis, therapy planning, treatment monitoring and follow-up of disease progression, as well as targeting non- or minimally-invasive treatment. Looking ahead, medical imaging will better meet the needs of individual patients, meaning more abnormalities can be found early, fewer patients will have to undergo follow-up screening, saving time and money and helping to avoid needless worry.
Computed tomography (CT) scans can reveal the cause of stroke, assess its severity and determine whether a patient requires hospitalization. Now, they can be used to forecast a stroke, providing vital information that can lead to life-saving outcomes. For example, a new study exploring the potential of CT scans for patients who have experienced a non-disabling stroke suggests that a CT scan within 24 hours of a mild stroke may provide enough evidence for physicians to predict the likelihood of that patient experiencing another stroke.
Increased efficiency and portability
Portable imaging equipment is transforming health care delivery – from the ambulance to the operating room – and making advanced imaging available to patients in remote or previously inaccessible areas. Until recently, ultrasound use has been limited by its size and the need for electricity. Now, smaller ultrasound machines, some so tiny they can fit into the palm of your hand, can deliver color-flow Doppler imaging, often on battery power alone. Given its size, use is spreading worldwide, bringing state-of-the art imaging to health clinics, remote rural areas and disaster recovery sites.
With increased portability comes increased efficiency, as patients can receive care where and when they need it. For example, at this year’s RSNA annual meeting, a new technology on display was a mobile app-based ultrasound device that brings the technology straight to the patient. This device also provides data to physicians more quickly.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
Remote-operated mobile imaging devices were also a highlight of the annual industry conference. Thanks to this innovation, physicians may be able to care for a patient without being in the same room, creating greater flexibility for care with space constraints. Remote-operated imaging could also be a critical tool for physicians treating highly contagious patients, such as those infected with Ebola or other infectious diseases.
Improved health outcomes
Innovation does not only come in the form of new devices; improvements upon existing technology will also help patients get the right diagnosis or therapy at the right time, resulting in better health outcomes. For example, new PET/CT hybrid technology eliminates “stop-and-go” imaging, basing scans on a single continuous motion of the patient table. This continuous flow improves image quality, particularly during extended surgeries, by eliminating motion artifacts. It also prevents patient movement by alleviating the anxiety that patients may feel during an imaging procedure. Another hybrid technology, PET/MR, provides greater detailed images and a lower signal-to-noise ratio that may lead to more effective treatment options.
Expanded access to life-saving care
New imaging innovations and techniques abound, but if patients do not have access to them, their effects will be limited. Expanded Medicare coverage for life-saving imaging techniques will benefit millions in 2015. For example, the proposed Medicare coverage decision for annual low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scans for Medicare beneficiaries who are at high risk for lung cancer will improve outcomes through early detection and drive down treatment costs. Additionally, in 2015, Medicare will cover tomosynthesis for the first time, thus expanding access to a technology that has been proven effective in detecting breast cancers while reducing callbacks. And finally, several national studies have demonstrated the value of CT colonography (CTC) as an effective tool to detect colorectal cancer in Medicare-eligible beneficiaries. Though many private insurers currently cover the procedure, a national Medicare coverage decision would further expand access to the technology and save lives.
Over the last 20 years, imaging has transformed health care delivery, leading to better health outcomes and lower costs. Today, technology that was once unimaginable is now the medical standard of care, with advances in imaging constantly changing the way we detect, diagnose, treat and even understand cancer and other complex diseases. Additionally, with expanded access for the Medicare population, even more patients will benefit from the latest innovations in 2015 and beyond.
